Statues In Time-DNF

Pt 1 Ch 7

Clay shut his eyes, contemplating lying to George, saying anything, literally anything, that could fix the situation, but he was stumped. He felt George sit up next to him, drawing the sheets closer to his chest and clasping his hands together in his lap expectedly.

Clay sighed a deep sigh before finally speaking "George...have you heard of Medusa?" George nodded in confusion, "Do you mean the fairy tale of the vicious woman who can turn anyone to stone with a glance? They would tell us about her as children..." Clay's gaze rested on George's soft hands as he muttered the damning words "George... that curse that woman bears...it is mine." George tilted his head "What?" Clay rose from the bed they had shared ever so briefly and stood by the window. "George I am not a mortal like you. I have voices in my mind, I call them snakes, they scream and yell at me to make my very own sculptures. They want people. And I'm the only one who can bring those people to them."

Clay watched the lights of the houses around of them shut off one by one as night crawled upon them. "Over the years I...have learned to control it at my best abilities. It's not impossible to suppress them, silence them, but it is extremely draining both mentally and physically." Clay refused to turn and look at George, in fear of seeing hatred or fear on his beloved's face. "It has always taken a toll on me. I withdrew and kept to myself in the woods, where no one ever went. Then came you, with your smile as bright as the sun and as warm as a lover's embrace. I've never felt more at peace than when I'm around you." He stiffened as he felt a hand touch his arm gently.

"Clay...I'm so very sorry you've had to endure all of that alone." He brought his hand up and caressed his cheek, brushing his thumb over the single tear falling from his eye. "I'm here for you now love, and I always will be." Clay fell apart at that very moment. Years of turmoil and loneliness crashing down upon him all at once, he wasn't alone anymore.

For once, in decades, he wasn't alone.